KLRU broadcasts programming created by and about people from all cultures year-round, from public affairs to history to independent film to kids programming. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, KLRU will broadcast a lineup of new and encore presentations honoring and exploring Latin American culture.

ARTS IN CONTEXT: THE ART OF THE DIA DE LOS MUERTOS (DAY OF THE DEAD)
airs Sunday, September 16th at 1 pm
This KLRU-TV production discovers the personal history and unique art of Dia de los Muertos through the stories of San Antonio artists who capture this rich cultural heritage. To understand our present, Arts In Context explores the fabric of our past. Although the philosophy behind Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) began in the Mexican culture, now it crosses all cultures as a ceremony to remember and value the ones who led us to where we are today.

MARIACHI HIGH airs Sunday, September 16th at 2 pm; Thursday, September 20th
at 9 pm; Friday, September 21 at 9 pm
This documentary presents a year in the life of the champion mariachi ensemble at Zapata High School on the Rio Grande in South Texas. As they compete and perform with astonishing musical virtuosity, these teens, and the music they make, will inspire, surprise, and bring you to your feet.

MEXICO: ROYAL TOUR airs Sunday, September 16th at 3 pm
A tour of the extraordinary locations and landmarks of Mexico is led by President Felipe Calderon. Explore the legendary ruins of lost civilizations, seek out their descendants and find the ancient mysteries these sites have hidden for generations. From soaring across the skies in a hot air balloon for a bird’s-eye view of Teotihuacon, to whale watching in Baja California, to rappelling stories into a seemingly bottomless pit, the program uncovers the essence of this captivating and complex nation. This is not the Mexico of media headlines or the pristine Mexico of travel brochures – this is the real Mexico of The Royal Tour.

POV “El Velador (The Night Watchman)” airs Thursday, September 27th at 9 pm
From dusk to dawn, “El Velador (The Night Watchman)” accompanies Martin, a guard who watches over the extravagant mausoleums of some of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords. In the labyrinth of the cemetery, this film about violence without violence reminds us that, amid the turmoil of a drug war that has claimed more than 50,000 lives, ordinary existence persists in Mexico and quietly defies the dead. Directed by Natalia Almada.

VOCES ON PBS “Tales of Masked Men” airs Friday, September 28th at 9 pm
Explore “lucha libre” and its role in Latino communities in the United States and Mexico. Part circus and part athletic contest, the sport, famous for its masked wrestlers, provides a sense of “home” for new immigrants in the United States. It also continues to expand and build on its unique cultural tradition in countries where it enjoys enduring popularity. Simultaneously, lucha libre is contributing a lasting cultural idiom to America’s pop culture landscape.

POV “Biblioburro, The Donkey Library” airs Thursday, October 4th at 9 pm
This is the story of a librarian — and a library — like no other. A decade ago, Colombian teacher Luis Soriano was inspired to spend his weekends bringing a modest collection of precious books, via two hard-working donkeys, to the children of a poor and violence-ridden province. As Soriano braves armed bands, drug traffickers, snakes and heat, his library on hooves carries an inspirational message about education and a better future for Colombia.

VOCES ON PBS “Escaramuza: Riding the Heart” airs Friday, October 5th at 9 pm
In this documentary, a team of first-generation Mexican American girls construct their identities through a romanticized equestrian tradition, while facing challenges at home, and escalating violence in Mexico. Confronting obstacles both known and unforeseen on their path from California to Mexico, their sometimes difficult choices demonstrate the values of goal-setting, teamwork, personal responsibility and strong family ties. This makes them inspiring role models in a world where Latina female athletes are few and far between.

VOCES ON PBS “Unfinished Spaces” airs Friday, October 12th at 9 pm
Fifty years after the Cuban Revolution, three architects resume their first project — Cuba’s National Art Schools — left unfinished in 1965 when their creative visions came head to head with the political realities of the Revolution.

VOCES ON PBSn “Lemon” airs Friday, October 19th at 9:30 pm
This documentary profiles three-time felon, one-time Tony Award-winner Lemon Anderson, an acclaimed Puerto Rican-American poet who broke out on Broadway in Russell Simmons’ “Def Poetry Jam.” Lemon’s life personalizes the anguish of men, clinging to the margins of society, but fighting for something more.